Indigenous voice stops in for word with the Pope

Aboriginal elder Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann is expecting Pope Francis to question her about the Indigenous voice to parliament when the two meet in the Vatican.

Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann at Vatican City ahead of her meeting Pope Francis on Wednesday. Photo: David Leigh Dodd.

Aboriginal elder Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann said she wouldn’t be surprised if Pope Francis asked her about the voice to parliament when she had an audience with him at the Vatican on Wednesday.

But Dr Ungunmerr Baumann, a former senior Australian of the Year, celebrated Indigenous educator and artist from Nauiyu, three hours southwest of Darwin, said she was still uncertain as to the benefits and drawbacks of the voice, and that remote Aboriginal communities required far more information before making up their minds.

Asked if she would be talking to the Pope about the voice, Dr Ungunmerr Baumann said: “I shouldn’t laugh but that’s a difficult one for me, I’m trying to get my head around it.” The 73-year-old said First Nations people were still uncertain of the impact of the voice on their communities.

But she said the Catholic Church, while interested in how the voice to parliament was being debated in Australia, would not hold a position as to how people should vote because “the church isn’t in that style of wanting to put words in our mouths”.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he (the Pope) did (ask about the voice),’’ she said, noting that the patron of her foundation, Frank Brennan, had been at the Vatican “explaining all things to him”.

Father Brennan, a law professor, has advocated changing the wording of the constitutional amendment to establish the voice so it could make representations to “ministers of state” rather then “executive government”, so that support for the upcoming referendum could be broadened.

Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann she said the Catholic Church would not hold a position as to how people should vote.

Father Brennan is to present a main lecture about the recognition of Aboriginal rights and the impact of the voice to parliament at the Pontifical Gregorian ­University in Rome on Saturday.

Dr Ungunmerr Baumann is in Rome for National Reconciliation Week, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and the Holy See and the 50th anniversary of the first Aboriginal Liturgy. She said: “There should be more people coming out and explaining what the voice to parliament is and how it will impact us, in a good way or bad way, to have a better understanding when it comes to voting.”

Dr Ungunmerr Baumann was one of the founding leaders on the National Indigenous Council, set up by John Howard and Aboriginal affairs minister Mal Brough in 2004 to advise the federal government on the impact of various decisions on Aboriginal life.

“I can’t see any difference with my time on the National Indigenous Council (and the voice),” she said. She said the council understood what the Howard government was doing and the reason­ing for providing various services. “But now this is happening, there is not enough information going to our places,” she said.

Dr Ungunmerr Baumann has had a strong connection to the Catholic Church, stemming back to when she was 10 and attending St Francis Xavier Catholic Church at the remote Northern Territory community of Daly Creek. She later became principal of the community’s school, after being the first Aboriginal schoolteacher in the NT. She said the church had provided eduction and support for the youth of the area for generations.

Jesuit priest Don MacKillop – brother of Mother Mary MacKillop, later canonised as a saint – worked among the Aboriginal people at Daly River in the 1800s. Dr Ungunmerr Bauman said Don was in charge of three stations in the area and one letter from Mary said how she was packing up to get ready to go to Daly River because her brother was there.

“But the sickness and remoteness was pretty hard and they packed up and left,’’ Dr Ungunmerr Baumann said.

Australian ambassador to the Holy See Chiara Porro said the visit was a unique opportunity to exchange perspectives on many priority issues for Australia and the Holy See.

“It will also be an emotive ­journey by one of our country’s most respected Indigenous leaders, and it stands to be an inspiration and an example that will resonate strongly with Aboriginal communities across Australia,’’ she said.

Early on Wednesday (AEST) Dr Ungunmerr Baumann was due to unveil one of her artworks, which centres on the concept of seasons and blending traditional Indigenous elements with Christian themes, to be presented to the Holy See at a reception at the Vatican Museums.

As well as meeting the Pope on Wednesday, she will host discussions on inclusive education, integral ecology and Indigenous spirituality, and will attend a lecture on the impact of the 1992 Mabo landmark legal victory for Indigenous rights in Australia.